Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Feeling Industrious

I'm turning old t-shirts into this......

and then this.......

I'll admit that cutting tees into long strips is a tedious task, but, amazingly, it's satisfying at the same time. It makes me feel all industrious like the Utah pioneers who used their old bedding for clothing, then when the clothes wore out they turned them into rags.... then when the rags wore out they turned them into rugs... and when the rugs wore out they burned them and made soap from the ashes. Crazy huh?! I'm not nearly that conservative or hardworking, but I think we could all benefit from doing just a little bit more of "re-using" stuff instead of throwing it away.

So, for the sake of the planet and my wallet, I'm turning all these old tees into a rug for my kitchen (stay tuned for the pattern). I don't think I could ever throw one away again!

Check out this tutorial HERE to learn how to make your own t-shirt yarn.

14 comments:

I love this idea! I have been crocheting up a storm lately (I haven't done it in years but for some reason, now that I've restarted I can't stop) so this sounds like a perfect project. I also love the idea of reusing things! Plus who doesn't have a drawer full of old shirts and giveaway shirts that you never really wanted. Thanks for the advice on not using shirts with print, most of mine have just a little bit on the top so I think I can cut that away. Thanks for the inspiration!

Hi Elise, I love that you are doing this, and the fact is the yarn that you are creating from these old tee shirts, is very good quality. It washes wonderfully and is very comfortable under your feet. Great for table place matts, too. You asked about my aprons, whether I used patterns or made my own. The truth is I make my aprons from old dresses, shirts and jeans. I let the first item be the foundation for the finished product and just get creative with it. This is one of my going green tricks. Thanks for visiting my blog. I love your blog and appreciate your friendship.Your blogging sister, Connie :)

I just found out about you from pin and I would like to thank you for all of the patterns and instructions you are very kind to share all your hard work and talent since I just discovered you I have not tried any of your patterns but I promise you I will you give the directions in a simple easy to understand format and you make sure a person can understand the way to do it right thank you again for your generous nature and your knowledge have a wonderful day and I will be staying tuned in to your wonderful site in the future and pass it on to others with the same love for crocheting as we all have on your site looking forward to future patterns bye for now pat suchek

Blog Archive

Protected Content

Copyright/ Terms of Use

Copyright Elise Engh and Grow Creative 2010-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Any artwork, photos, tutorials and ideas shown on this blog are the property of Elise Engh, unless otherwise stated. You may not copy an entire post and post it on your website or blog. Small excerpts and links may be used, provided that clear and full credit is given to Elise Engh and Grow Creative with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. My tutorials, patterns, templates, and ideas are for personal, non-commercial, and non-profit use only. Thanks!